The program will employ open health IT standards — specifically, HL7 — in combination with cloud-based technologies in order to present a holistic view of veteran digital health records. DHP will rely on application programming interfaces (APIs) to merge military and commercial health data, unify VA data stores, connect patients and providers instantly, and improve patient care.

Currently, VA operates across a variety of disparate systems each housing different records, making it challenging for veterans to exchange information between providers. DHP will connect this health data in a closed-loop system programmed to continuously collect and analyze data.

The primary goal of DHP is to ensure that all available health data on a veteran — from personal devices and wearables to provider-generated data at annual physicals — is available in one easily-accessible digital location that can follow that individual anywhere.

Because DHP is a cloud-based service focused on connecting a network of existing systems, it will not be dependent on any singular system to function. Were VA to replace its existing VistA EHR technology with a replacement EHR, the process would not have an adverse effect on DHP.